Retractable fish landing net



my 24 1951 T. A. BEDFORD ErAL.

RETRACTABLE FISHLANDING NET 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Deo.. 8, 1947 Ahldfllullllr mllJnlllhlHlH. m 4%/ S\\\ m A s, Nw m. y Y

"niedrigem a, 1947 Juil? 24, 1951 T. A. BEDFORD ETAL 2,561,645

RETRACTABLE FISH LANDING NET 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS Tyan/w A. Bru-anp, JR. HwRYA. Schw/r1- ATTORNEYS Patented July 24, 951

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oFFlcE Thomas A. Bedford, Detroit, Mich., and Henry A. Schmitt, Oakland, Calif.

Application December 8, 1947, Serial No. 790,340

6 Claims. l

This invention relates to landing nets, and more particularly to a landing net wherein the net and frame support therefor are fully retractable Within a cylindrical tube, or handle.

An obect of the invention is to provide a landing net, fully retractable and extensible with respect to a carrying handle, wherein the net supporting frame is comprised of a plurality of ngers distensible upon the movement of said net and frame outwardly of the handle to support the net in the optimum position for use in the landing of sh.

Another object of the invention is to provide a retractable landing net comprising a cylindrical handle, a net and supporting frame fully extensible and retractable with respect to `the handle, and means embodied in the device to provide for loatability thereof irrespective of the position of the net with relation to the handle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a landing net having a distensible tripod frame operative upon the emergence of said frame from the handle to support the net in a position for use, and means associated with the members of said frame to facilitate the reintroduction of the net within the handle.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings forming part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view in section of the landing net, showing the elements thereof in their retraeted position;

Figure 2 is a View in section of the landing net, showing the elements thereof in theirextended position;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the landing net in the closed position;

Figure 4 is a view in section taken along lines 4-4 of Figure 1;

' `Figure 5 is a view in section taken along lines 5 5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a view of a portion of the net frame structure showing said net frame in the extended position;

Figure 7 is a partial plan view of the landing net of Figure 2;

Figure 8 is a view in perspective of the net frame and net of the landing net; and

`Figure 9 is a view in perspective of a modification of the net frame.

Referring to the drawingsfor more specific `details of the invention, I8 is a hollow cylindrical handle, or tube, having a permanent end closure cap I2. A piston indicated'generally at `I4'i's'dis` posed within the tube, said piston being comprised of a rubber disc I6 in wiping engagement with the inner surface of the tube, a backing disc I8 bonded thereto, a facing disc 20 also bonded to the disc I6, and an upright frame support member 22 crossed by slots in T-shape relation and shown as a horizontal slot 24 and a vertical slot 26, said member 22 being carried by the disc 28. Pivotally mounted in the slot 24, as by pins 28, are a pair of arms 30 formed by medial'ly folding a metal strip upon itself, said arms each enfolding a length of cable 32 to Which there is secured a border of a net 34. Springs 36 coiled around and anchored on each of the pins 28, and having a leg thereof extending within the arms 30, yieldingly urge said arms laterally of the frame support member 22. Another arm 38, also formed by medially folding a metal strip upon itself, is pivotally mounted within the vertical slot 26 by a pin 48, said arm enfolding a length of cable 42 to which there is secured a portion of the net 34. A spring 44 coiled around and anchored on the pin 40, and having a leg thereof extending within the arm 38, is adapted to yieldingly urge said arm downwardly with respect to the frame support member 22.

An auxiliary arm 46, having the same U-shaped cross section as arms 30 and 38, is pivotally secured to the end of arm 38 by a pin 48, said arm being provided with a length of internal cable 50 (Figure 6) to which there is secured the lower edge of the net 34. A spring 52 coiled around the pin 48 and anchored thereon, and having a leg thereof abutting the arm 38, serves to yieldingly urge the arm 46 away from the arm 38 to the position shown in Figure 6. The arm 46 is secured to a threaded spindle 54 on which there is sleeved a multi-pronged centering member 56, a rubber sealing disc 58, and a backing disc 66, said centering member and discs being secured in place` on the spindle 54 by a handling knob 62 ton I4 against forward movement under the action of a spring I6 carried within the tube I0 between the closure cap I2 and the piston I4. The

end i2 maintains a substantially water-tight t in the aperture 14. A plurality of beads 18 projecting inwardly of the tube I0 adjacent the mouth thereof serve as stop members for the piston I4 to prevent movement of said piston out of the tube.

A support member indicated generally at 80 is comprised of a collar 82 in frictional engagement with the youter surface Iof the tube, angarm ,84 secured to the vcollarpand a U-s'hapedspringclip 86 pivotally carried by the end of the arm 84. The clip 86 may be yieldingly moved out of engagement with the surface of .the ,tube ,1.0 .by

pivoting said clip counter-clockwise with respect to the end of arm 84, as viewedrin-Figuresi'l.and d5 2, to snap said clip off of the tube. The roperators belt, or the like, may then beintroduced between the arm 84 and the tube "I'U 'for'the support" of the landing net, and the clip may-.then Ib snapped back onto the .tube to lock the landing .net fingplace Vfor :carrying purposes.

When the elements of the landing .net are .in :the Yretracted position of :Figures `1 Aand 3, :the rubber disc .5.8 .seals the `mouth of 'the ztube `I0 against the :influxiof water, `should'.the-device be accidentally dropped `in a stream, or the like. .This:sealingdisctogetherwithithe relatively. light `weightfof lthe device, aluminum .being :preferably usedrforfthefabrication thereof, combine -to lend floatability-to thedevice.

A manual'slidlng Aofitliebuttonl tothe `right v .from its lposition of Figures l-land 3 allows .the upward `movement of the-spring FIB to free the iend 1.2 .of thezspring 'from engagement with ,the

.piston M, ,thus `causing f a rapid i movement of 1said 1 fpiston tothefmouthyof the ftube ,lllunderthe ac- \tion of spring 16, saidfmovementfof `the ypiston :t4 `beingstopped .by lthe :beads v1.8 adjacent Ithe :mouthoi vthe tube. `As thefarms 230-38 and-48 of '.theinetxframe arenmovedVoutwardlyfof the tube,

they Bare pivoted away '.from the .axis ;of the tube 4by springs ,#36, 94.4 and -.52, respectively, to qassume Athe positions shown in 4iigurr-:s aiand-, -thus .causing distension of 4theqnetdas-shown best rinfFigure 8. Thershortergendgof the'agrmfAGand the knob 62 and attendantsp/arts-.carried:thereby f i-serve asweight to @aid the `:springs A4 `and ,52 in .theimaintenance :of :the :distensionof the :apex-,of l.the.fnet;34.

Totreturnfthe landing-inetfdeviceto the kclosed yposition, the voperator grasps .the knob -82 and ,pivots `the arms 45 yand -38 .simultaneouslygima counter-clockwise direction, 'as viewed in .Figure 8, around their respective lpivot points, through the intermediate positioniof arms --46 and 38,;l

shownin ,dottedfoutline 4inliigure .8, to "bringboth :ar/ms f-intoxalignment Ywith the `axis of .tube Il), A.thereby enfolding the apexfof v,net `34 between f -said arms. .The 4forcing t-of the arms 4.6 and -3.8

,inwardly ofthe ltube `against thefactionfofspring v @16 is effective `to,pivotthe.laterally disposed arms ,30 towards -.each other `by `the .forcing action ,of the tube mouth against said arms 3U. The arms are, moved inwardiy until the .disc -.5a VVis iin tight .engagement .with the end ofthe tube ID, andthe; ...button 6.8.is then moved to depress theend :1,2

of spring 10, thereby securing .the piston I4 :in theposition of Figure 1. .It .will be .noted that the pronged centering member sservestomaintain the arms of .the net frame centrally-,ofthe v.tube and to .center the disc 5B .with .respectto the mouth of said tube.

.A .modification ofthe .net .frame is .shown .in

Figure 9, wherein theknob 62, discs, backing disc 60 andmulti-pronged centering member F15,pistonin,.tripodaliarrangement,.twoxoffsaidgarms are secured directly to the arm 38 which is provided in a slightly longer length, and, also, adapted to have less of a downward pivoting action than the arm 38 of the preferred embodiment of the invention, thereby compensating to some degree for the absence of arm 46. It will be noted that the knob 62 and attendant parts carried by arm 38 serve as a weight in aid of the spring 44 for-arm 238 in fmaintainingfthe.distension of the apexaofrthe'net.

The oatability of the landing net when it is I-,in the closed position has been heretofore mentioned, but itis to be pointed out that the landv`ing'net-isalso-floatable when the elements thereof .areinzthevextendedposition, as in Figure 2. Pisv ton`il4iisrthen effective to prevent the influx of Water within the tube I0, thereby preserving the lbuoyancyfofthe'tube if it should be accidentally droppedzin the Water.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention anda modicationthereof have Abeen shown and described,`,`itv is ,understood that furthermo'dification of `the, structure ,of theinvention .may be had lwithin .the `spirit of ,the L,invention .and .the scope of 'theappendedclaims ',What Weclaim `as, new .and 'desire ,to ,securelby Letters'Patentlis i1. .In V a landing net device 'having a hollow handle, `a,.piston ',tittedjfor sliding movement in said ,'lhandle, .a spring to urge. said piston `toward the mouth ,ofthel.hand1e.and..tri gger means 'to initiate said spring-urged movement-sof thepiston; .a net .supporting Vframe .comprising varms pivotally ,secured .to ,the ,piston .rin a .,tripodal A`ar-L rangement, `and vspring .means .associated :with saidlarms,andspistonadaptedtodistend said arms as; thepiston is .urged ,to thelmouth vof .thefhandle Y2. .In fa :landing .net .device `'having a .hollow handle, ,a piston tted for sliding ,movement in .said handle, aspringtmurge said piston toward .the mouthpf Y.,the,1f1andle, and trigger .means to initiate` said spring-.urged .movement of the piston; Va net 4,supporting frame .comprising .a pair lofarms pivotally `secured-,to ,the pistonfonlateral movement with. respect z.to c.the ,normaltpositioneof use of the device and another ,arm ,pivotallyysecured .to thepistonffon downwardmovementwith respect .to .said ,position .of :.use, and-springI means associated .witneachpf said arms and saidpiston adapted t0 pivot;said.arms outwardly fromgthe .longitudinal axis `of ,thehan'dle upon the .movementaal4 the-.pistonto thamouthof the fhandle.

3. A landing net device comprising .a-hollow handle, a @piston .tted for. sliding .movementin saidliandle, three .arms 4lpivotally:secured .to said piston, two of said arms being laterallypivotable ,andthe third. arm;` beingipivotableing-afdownward direction normal to the direction-'of-pivotonsaid ttwo arms, a net Vsecu-red -to ,said sthree -,arms, a spring to yieldingly urge said pistonftoethe.- mouth .of :said handle, trigger means to ,initiate :said movement, a spring associated with-eachiofisaid .arms and said `pistonfto .distend said arms upon .the-movementfpf said piston fto the mouthofi-said handle, and a member carried at the endfof-. the l.downwardly:pivotablefarmradapted ,to `:serve tas a distending weight for the apex of the-: netL-.when ``saidinet in -thefextended position :and to fserve as a closurecap .for thet'mouthqof.` thehandley when the ;net .is in 4then...retrac-:ted .position withinvfthe handle. ,4, .A landing I-net l device l comprising `a .hollow gha-ndle, .a piston ittedlfor'sliding movement-.in

,saidhan'dlen three i armspivotablyfsecured to said being laterally pivotable and the third arm being pivotable in a downward direction normal to the plane embracing the longitudinal axes of said two arms, an auxiliary arm pivotably secured adjacent one end thereof to the end of the aforementioned downwardly pivotable arm, a net secured to and between said three arms and said auxiliary arm, a spring to yieldingly urge said piston to the mouth of said handle, trigger means to initiate said movement, a spring associated with each of said arms to distend the three tripodally arranged arms upon the movement of said piston to the mouth of said handle and to pivot the auxiliary arm to move the longer p0rtion thereof away from the arm to which it is secured to a substantially horizontal position, said auxiliary arm being effective upon the manual return pivoting thereof to bring the longer portion of said arm adjacent its supporting arm to enfold the net for ready insertion of the net and arms within the handle, and a member carried at the end of the shorter portion of the auxiliary arm adapted to serve as a closure cap for the mouth of the handle when the net is in the retracted position within the handle.

5. For a landing net supporting device having a tripodal net frame extensible and retractable with respect to a supporting handle having arms, an auxiliary arm pivotably secured to the end of one of said arms, and spring means to urge said auxiliary arm out of parallelism with said one arm, said auxiliary arm having a portion of the net secured thereto and being adapted upon a forced pivoting thereof toward a position of parallelism with said one arm to enfold the net for ready retraction of the net and supporting frame with respect to the handle.

6. A landing net comprising a tubular handle having a substantially water-tight wall and one permanently sealed end, a piston mounted for movement in the handle and comprising a rubber disk in sealing engagement with the inner surface thereof, a net support carried by the piston comprising a plurality of pivotally related straight frame members supporting a net and movable out of and into the open end of the handle to expand or retract the net, and a closure for said end of the handle comprising a hand knob on the outer end of one frame member having a rubber disk at its base making sealing engagement with the open end of the handle when said one member is telescoped therein; whereby said closure and piston serve to exclude water from the handle in the retracted position and the open position, respectively, of the net and make the handle floatable,

THOMAS A. BEDFORD. HENRY A. SCHMITT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 482,635 Hanish Sept.. 13, 1892 588,595 Nolan Aug. 24, 1897 985,114 Covell Feb. 21, 1911 

